Make something by hand this week.
Beginner guides to drawing, painting, printmaking, clay and thread – what to buy, what to skip and one first project you can finish at the kitchen table.
Drawing for beginners: an 8-week plan with a self-check
A pencil, cheap paper and 15 minutes a day. Small exercises in a set order, each with a test you can see on the page.
Pottery for beginners: hand-building or wheel, which clay, where to fire
No wheel and no kiln of your own: start with hand-building and a bag of the clay your nearest kiln accepts.
Latest guides
New first projects, checked against the makers’ own sheets
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Gouache vs watercolor: opacity, layering, paper and cost
Gouache covers, watercolor glows. A four-question guide to pick one before you spend.
By Lionel Rutledge
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Crochet for beginners: hook, yarn and a 10 cm square
One 5.5 mm hook, one ball of smooth medium yarn – and your first square.
By Lionel Rutledge
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Functional art: useful things you can make yourself
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Linocut tools: what beginners need and what can wait
One handle with a V and a U blade is enough to start.
By Lionel Rutledge
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Ceramic glaze for beginners: cones, food-safe labels and faults
Pick a ready-made glaze whose cone matches your clay and kiln.
By Lionel Rutledge
Not sure where to start?
Pick the line that sounds like you. Each one opens the guide we would hand a friend.
Finish it this weekend
Small projects with a clear end
